Website Criteria

Guidelines. Research. Advice.

Website Writing Guide

Writing for government websites

Government website do's and dont's

Citizens and businesses are quite a selfish lot! They believe that the information they are seeking from government websites should be all about them: relevant, easy to find and easy to understand. They have little patience for government promotional language, too many words and they hate jargon and acronyms.

Users generally do not care what department provides the information, program or grant, or why. They just want to know how and when to apply, comply or simply act as a responsible citizen or business owner.

For writers of government websites this means standing in the shoes of the user when organising the content and writing the words.